Because of the relevancy
of the following topic to Azerbaijan's situation, we reprint
the following letter from Ukrainian Weekly with their permission.

During the Figure Skating competition
of the Olympics in 1998, the Ukrainian skaters were listed as
Vyacheslav Zagorodniuk and Dmitri Dmitrenko, a transliteration
from Russian and not from Ukrainian [which would be Viacheslav
Zahorodniuk and Dmytro Dmytrenko]. Transliterations from Russian
were also used during the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in
1996.

In independent Ukraine there
is no directive from Moscow on how to correctly transliterate.
Nowadays that decision is made in Kyiv by the Ukrainian Olympic
Committee. Apparently these people consider the Ukrainian language
unworthy of transliteration into English, and Russian to be superior
to Ukrainian.

How long will it take for Ukrainians
to accept the Ukrainian language as equal to other languages
and worthy of transliteration into English? How long will their
inferiority complex last? How can a nation that does not have
self-respect demand respect from others?

Some Ukrainians might think
that correctly transliterating Ukrainian names into English is
of no importance, or that yet another criticism of Ukraine is
unfair. But what difficulty impedes the proper transliteration
from Ukrainian into English? Probably unwillingness, ignorance,
lack of self-respect and an inferiority complex. Such qualities
could also destroy a nation.

Andrij D. Solczanyk
Media, PA
published March 15, 1998

Editor's Note: From its founding in 1993, Azerbaijan
International has had a policy of transliterating names into
English via Azeri, not Russian. We try to be a reliable reference
for our readers but it is a constant struggle because much of
the material we receive is still spelled through Russian. It
seems old habits die hard.